Maybe Avery was right. Maybe Ididneed to get laid. Maybe…
Cooper, still lying on what I thought was basically a big skateboard, looked down at himself as well. To my disappointment, he scrambled to close the lowest few open press studs, taking away the view below his belly button before rolling off the board and heaving himself off the ground without so much as a sound of effort. “Sorry, gets hot in here. I wasn’t expecting anyone.”
“Hi,” I said intelligently, wondering which way I should tilt my head so my partially melted brain didn’t drip out of my ears.
It hadclearlybeen too long since I got laid.
Cooper looked at me. Then he looked at my hands.
I looked at them as well. There was a cup of coffee in each. One of them had his name on it.
Right. Becausethatwas what I’d come here for.
The top of Cooper’s overalls were still open, revealing the hollow of his throat and a hint of collarbone.
Avery wasdefinitelyright, if this was how I was reacting to seeing an attractive man approximately a tenth naked.
“This is for you.” I held out the cup that saidCoopon it. “I asked Iggy to make it how you like.”
Cooper’s warm fingers brushed against mine as he accepted the cup. They were rough and dry and covered in motor oil, which I thought probably meant I shouldn’t want them in my mouth right now.
I did, though.
Fuck. Was this what six months of celibacy did to a man? I’d never had to find out before.
When I finally managed to raise my gaze away from Cooper’s chest to his face, he had an eyebrow raised.
“There’s also…” I said, holding up the paper bag I had a death grip on along with the coffee in my other hand. One of the dirty chai blondies. I figured they were good enough to count as a full apology, combined with the coffee.
Cooper’s other brow rose.
I had not explained myself.
“Figured I owed you coffee,” I said.
Cooper’s brows knit. I was learning they were very expressive. Avery would have loved to take a pair of tweezers to them.
“It was your coffee.”
“Yes, but I spilled it on you, and then ran off without even making sure you were okay. Are you?”
I hadn’tseena burn on his chest, but…
“Fine.” Cooper’s mouth twitched into a shy smile that made something in my stomach do a backflip. He wascute. Aside from being hot. “You…?”
“Fine,” I said. “I didn’t actually get any on me.”
Cooper’s smile widened a little. “Well, good. Sorry I was late yesterday.”
I shrugged. “I liked getting to know Benji.” He was a good kid. Cooper was obviously his hero—half of what I’d heard from him wasCoop says,Coop thinks. “That’s actually the other reason I’m here.”
Cooper’s smile faltered. He looked down at the coffee in his hand, shifting his weight. “Is this acome into my officeconversation?”
“What? No! No, he’s not… he’s probably the best student I’ve ever had,” I said. I didn’t have to tell Cooper I hadn’t had all that many. I’d done one or two guest appearances doing demonstrations for younger dancers and I’d done the Nutcracker choreography, but it’d been my first solo class, the first time I’d had to reallyteachsomething. I’d been unbelievably grateful that Benji was attentive and serious, and all the others seemed to follow his lead.
Cooper’s smile flared right back into life, and my stomach flipped again.
That was probably fine. It was probably completely fine and normal to get butterflies over a man I’d just met. Nothing thatwas likely to be a problem later, now that I was meant to be teaching his kid.
